摘要
Aim:The purpose of this study was to assess the self-perception of patients toward their dental appearance using the aesthetic component(AC)of index of orthodontic treatment need(IOTN)index and whether age and gender had any influence on it.Methods:A cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the perceived esthetic impact of malocclusion in 16–24 year-old subjects selected from the rural population of Faridabad,Haryana,India.The sample was divided into two groups,older adolescents and younger adults,and the AC of the IOTN index was applied.Results:The results showed that most subjects scored themselves as having an attractive dentition with no need for orthodontic treatment(60.91%).Gender-wise differences were not found to be statistically significant in relation to the perceived needs(P=0.095),whereas age-wise differences were found to be statistically significant in relation to the perceived needs(P<0.001).Conclusion:While the age seemed to have an impact on the perceived esthetic impact of malocclusion,the gender did not seemingly influence this self-perception.